Michael Ring
Ceist:302 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be approved and paid the living alone allowance. [15698/01]
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
Living alone allowance is a weekly payment of £6 per week made to people receiving certain social welfare payments who are residing alone. As a result of changes made in the last budget the scheme, which normally applies to people aged 66 years of age or over, has been extended with effect from 4 April 2001 to persons who are receiving disability allowance.
The person concerned who is a recipient of disability allowance has been awarded a living alone allowance with effect from 4 April 2001. He has been notified of this decision and a book of payable orders has been issued to his nominated post office for collection.
Michael Ring
Ceist:303 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be approved and paid disability payments following a stroke. [15699/01]
As a result of a change in the contribution conditions for disability benefit which I introduced in the recent Social Welfare Act, the person concerned qualifies for disability benefit with effect from 23 March 2001.
She qualified for payment at a reduced weekly rate for 390 days which is the maximum entitlement in her case as she is also in receipt of a one parent family payment. Arrears of £336.60 for the period 23 March to 17 May 2001, which is the date of the latest medical certificate received, have been issued.
Michael Ring
Ceist:304 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo has been refused a carer's allowance. [15700/01]
The person concerned applied for carer's allowance on 16 February 2001.
The medical details submitted in the application were insufficient to determine whether the person being cared for required full-time care and attention. Additional medical evidence was therefore requested and received by my Department on 12 April 2001.
My Department's chief medical adviser has examined all the evidence provided. He expressed the opinion that the care recipient is not so disabled as to require full-time care and attention as prescribed in regulations.
Taking account of this advice the application was refused. The person concerned was notified of this decision and of her right to appeal to the Social Welfare Appeals Office, D'Olier House, D'Olier Street, Dublin 2. To date no appeal has been lodged.
Under social welfare legislation decisions in relation to claims must be made by deciding officers and appeals officers. These officers are statutorily appointed and I have no role in regard to making such decisions.
Richard Bruton
Ceist:305 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will make arrangements with Dublin Bus whereby persons who hold a travel pass can, on presentation of a scheduled hospital appointment, be allowed use public transport even during the peak hour commuter period free of charge. [15705/01]
The free travel scheme is generally available to all people living in the State aged 66 years or over. It is also available to carers and to people with disabilities who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments.
With regard to the time restrictions on the free travel scheme, these have been a feature of this scheme since its inception. They apply at peak times on city bus services in Dublin, Cork and Limerick. They do not apply in the case of men tally handicapped people, people attending long-term rehabilitation courses or certain work experience programmes and certain other disabled or blind people. These people are issued with an unrestricted free travel pass which enables them to travel during the normally restricted travel times.
The central issue in regard to time restrictions relates to capacity constraints. Where restrictions apply it is at the request of the transport companies because the transport system is under severe pressure from commuters travelling to and from work and school in the morning and evening. There are no peak time travel restrictions on the DART, suburban rail services and on services provided by private transport operators in other parts of the country.
A review of the free schemes was published by the Policy Institute, Trinity College Dublin in April last year. The review notes that the demands for the easing of time restrictions are, without exception, based on the fact that people have difficulty attending hospitals for appointments that fall within the restricted peak times. It recommends that the Department of Health and Children and the health boards should examine this problem with a view to introducing more convenient and flexible appointments for free travel pass holders. My Department has written to the Department of Health and Children bringing this recommendation to its attention.
Also in this regard, under the provisions of the health Acts, a health board may make arrangements for the conveyance of patients to and from hospitals for people requiring medical treatment.
In general free travel pass holders make suitable arrangements around the peak time restrictions. Where there are exceptional extenuating circumstances where hospital appointments cannot be arranged out of peak travel time, my Department can issue a temporary unrestricted free travel pass. Such passes are issued on a once-off basis only and are valid for up to six months. Requests for such passes are considered on a case by case basis. To date this has occurred in a very small number of exceptional cases. Any general lifting of the time restrictions would cause capacity problems for CIE and further disruption to work and school commuters.
The free travel scheme, in common with the other free schemes operated by this Department, is kept under review with a view to identifying the scope for further improvements.
Gay Mitchell
Ceist:306 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the assistance which is available to assist persons (details supplied) in Dublin 6W recently returned from abroad; and if he has any proposals to amend the social welfare regulations in relation to those returned emigrants from non EU countries and their entitlements in the first years after their return. [15778/01]
Provision is made for migrant workers under EU Regulation 1408/71 which applies on a reciprocal basis to all EU member states. These provide for short-term benefits which would include the relevant benefit in this case if the person had returned from an EU country and long-term benefits such as the contributory old age pension.
Ireland also has concluded bilateral agreements with a number of countries, mainly those which have a tradition of emigration from Ireland. These are Austria, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Quebec, Switzerland and the USA. These reciprocal agreements apply only to long-term benefits and would not have provided benefit in this case if the person had come from one of these countries.
In the normal course people who return to Ireland usually have sufficient income to maintain themselves until they take up employment and become subject to Irish legislation. If they fail to obtain employment in the short term, they are eligible for the full range of social assistance payments in the same way as Irish residents who do not have social insurance cover or who have exhausted their entitlement to social insurance benefits.
In the case referred to by the Deputy, one of the persons claimed and received unemployment assistance intermittently between July last year and April this year, including full increases for her husband and children. It is believed that she was employed between the periods claimed.
The other person never worked in Ireland and has no PRSI contributions under Irish legislation. He is in the same position as any other person resident in Ireland without an Irish insurance record. He would be entitled to unemployment assistance if he fulfilled the conditions and satisfied the means test. Alternatively, he would be entitled to a disability allowance if he satisfied the medical and means conditions.
Returned emigrants are treated in the same way as other residents of the State who are in similar need of income support and I have no plans to amend the social welfare legislation.